


You and Me (always forever)

by mrsO_jackson



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Argo II (Percy Jackson), Bloodbending, Dark Percy, F/M, Not Canon Compliant - The Heroes of Olympus, Post-Tartarus (Percy Jackson), but probably some point at the start of blood of olympus, possessed!percy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:33:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24741607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrsO_jackson/pseuds/mrsO_jackson
Summary: Annabeth Chase is sure of three things. Firstly, Percy Jackson is the love of her life. Secondly, she has to keep their friends safe from him. Finally, all that means nothing if she can't save the world too.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Comments: 16
Kudos: 113





	1. Why did you do it?

**Author's Note:**

> Title inspired by the song Always Forever by Cults.

Percy Jackson wasn't a scary guy. 

He liked animals and cookies and music and the ocean and laughter. He liked the feeling he got whenever he helped someone, the satisfaction of knowing that he made their life a little easier. It wasn't that he saw himself as bigger and stronger than anyone else; he just liked to be helpful. 

When new campers showed up to Camp Half-Blood, he'd always made an effort to greet them. Sometimes, if no God had him running one of their casual deadly errands, he'd even show them around. If Jason needed him to help whip up a quick hurricane, he was there. If Hazel asked him to negotiate with Arion, say no more. And when it came to Annabeth and his mom, he would do anything. Hell, he had done anything - not that he ever regretted it. 

Maybe it wasn't his livelihood, but Percy definitely saw what he did as a job. A necessary burden. He fought with his teeth gritted, Annabeth had often observed. It was almost as though every time he brought his sword down, he felt the pain he inflicted. The compassion in his eyes had faded from what it once was, but after they reunited on the Argo II Annabeth felt secretly relieved that it hadn't disappeared completely; whatever Hera had done, he was still Percy. 

See, Percy Jackson wasn't a scary guy. Until he was. 

His eyes often glimmered - she'd made that observation after many nights spent staring into them. She'd assumed the dark would dim the beautiful sea-green hue, but they still shone just as bright as they did in the day. They did whenever he smiled, whenever he was happy. 

So when Annabeth noticed the glimmer in his eyes as he fought a hellhound, she was more than a little disturbed. Percy had always had a soft spot for the large death dogs - Mrs O'Leary had made it hard for him to kill one without a special kind of determination. But here, he seemed to fight with an unfeeling, clinical precision. It wasn't his style at all - her Seaweed Brain was definitely powerful, but he had little to no organisation. He slashed and sliced (and sometimes stabbed, a memento from his time at Camp Jupiter), but regardless, he always had a sense of urgency in his attack. 

Here, he acted leisurely, as if Kronos himself had slowed time for him. It was disturbing to watch, not least because the dog seemed to follow his lead. Percy had complete control. She stared at him in confusion, noticing a closed fist at his side. He mimicked a small punching motion and the dog stumbled, whimpering now. 

"Percy" She trembled.

"Yes?"

"What are you doing?"

He tilted his head towards her and momentarily she spied a lopsided grin. 

"Just having some fun. Don't worry, I got this." He exhaled, before nodding ever so slightly. The dog's nose began bleeding in small droplets, but he cried as though he was Akhlys herself. 

"Percy!" Annabeth exclaimed, this time with more urgency in her voice. 

He flipped his head around and his fist dropped. Suddenly, the dog collapsed in a heap on the other end of the room and the corner of Percy's lip flicked up ever so slightly. 

"Dammit. I could've got a few more rounds out of him."

Annabeth was too shocked to speak. Percy was... controlling the hellhound. She didn't know how, but she knew he'd been keeping it alive. On secondary assessment, she could see how big the dog's wounds were. He should've been dead from blood loss minutes ago. But he didn't, because of Percy; Percy had been keeping it from flowing. The realisation hit her like a freight train. The boy she loved had been controlling the hellhound's blood. Tartarus flashbacks began to suffocate her: Akhlys and the poison, the curses, the rivers. She felt as though she was blind again, trying to find someone that was out of her reach.

She stumbled backwards. "We should go back to the ship. The others are probably wondering where we are."

Percy shrugged and walked towards the exit of the cave they'd found themselves in, half a mile from the river in which the Argo II was docked. 

"Do you want to travel upstream?" He asked innocently. "We can get a lift, or I can swim. You just gotta hold on tight."

"Uh, I'd rather walk. If that's okay with you." 

He shrugged again. "Sure." 

They walked alongside each other in silence for the best part of 7 minutes, before thankfully Leo came into view.

"Where have you guys been?" He demanded, waving his screwdriver. "We've looked all over!"

Percy laughed. "Careful there, Captain. Quick hellhound situation, but we've got it under control now. Let's get up and running before nightfall." 

"You got it." Leo nodded and bounded back towards the now visible river. Annabeth followed after him, desperate to speak to someone before she realised what that would entail. She didn't really know how to explain her theory, and she didn't want to put anybody at risk. She decided to wait until the night and tentatively walked back towards Percy. He smiled warmly at her, the cold glint in his eyes gone.

"Hey, Wise Girl?" He asked, smiling hopefully. "Do you maybe want to watch a movie in my cabin tonight? I can ask Leo to turn off Buford, just for a couple of hours."

She blinked. "Uh, not today. I got a lot of stuff to sort out, you know, with the loss of Daedulus' laptop and uh-" She knew she was rambling, but she couldn't fall asleep next to Percy. He tried and failed to not to look disappointed, and Annabeth felt her heart drop. "Maybe another time." She suggested. 

"Yeah, maybe." He walked towards Frank sullenly, leaving Annabeth alone to climb into the ship. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she pulled herself over the deck and to her annoyance, Jason stood directly in front of her. She tried to stroll nonchalantly by him, but he grabbed her shoulder. She had come to respect the guy, but she still wasn't as close to him as everybody else. She didn't know what she was going to tell him. 

"Hey," he called, cautiously but softly. "You okay?" 

She quickly wiped the tear and straightened her back, but her red eyes betrayed her. 

"You don't have to tell me. Do you need to go to the infirmary?"

"No, no. I'm okay Jason, honest."

He frowned, but let go of her. "Are you sure?" She could see the cogs of his brain turning; why was she, daughter of wisdom and warfare crying? If only he knew.

She felt a sudden urge to lean in and hug him - platonically, of course - but Percy and Piper bounded in behind Jason. They smiled at their respective partners. 

"Hey, babe," Piper whispered. Jason looked over in concern at Annabeth, but she waved him away with a smile. He gave her an awkward half-hug and high fived Percy before pressing a sweet kiss to Piper's lips. The two lovers walked off hand in hand and Percy smirked after them. 

"We do it better," he chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. "You okay?" 

She said nothing and instead pressed her forehead into his chest. Her breathing began mimicking his heartbeat and she brushed her lips against a lightly bloodstained gash in his top. Some may have seen the gesture at slightly gruesome, but Percy just pulled her closer. The connection between them transcended human squeamishness; he was simply an extension of her own self.

They stood still and alone in the centre of the deck whilst Leo raised the ship. The sunset around them got brighter and brighter, radiating warmth atop of their heads. Annabeth knew she couldn't pretend that she was alright for much longer, but everything was so perfect. She wanted to stay here forever, shrouded by orange light and pink stained skies, but she knew that wouldn't be smart.

"Percy," Annabeth whispered almost inaudibly. 

He looked down in concern. 

"Why did you do it?"

He looked quizzically at her. "Do what?"

"In the cave. With the hell hound."

He met her with another look, mixed with concern and confusion. "We were only in there quick enough to kill the hellhound and go. What did I do?"

She shuddered, remembering. "With his... With his blood."

"Annabeth, I stabbed his chest and he disintegrated. We didn't really get to see much in the way of blood."

It was her turn to look at him, brows furrowed. That was definitely not what happened. 

"Maybe you're just tired," he said, stroking her hair and kissing her forehead. "Get some sleep, I know I need to."

With that, he strolled away with his hands in his jeans, leaving Annabeth to walk back to her cabin in despair. How could Percy not remember controlling the hellhound? He could be lying, but something told her he wasn't. The look in his eyes was earnest, reminiscent of when he was 12. No, he wasn't lying. But it was definitely his body, it was Percy's body who had slew the hellhound so gruesomely. Was someone else controlling him? It wasn't an eidolon - Annabeth knew that much. Hazel made them swear on the Styx to not return. Possibly Gaia, but Miss Dirtface would've needed much more power than she had to execute such a scheme. Regardless, whoever it was could manipulate powers that Percy didn't even know he had, and then change his memories to make him believe what they wanted. That level of skill......

She stopped short of her door and turned towards Leo's cabin.


	2. Annabeth Chase, have you lost your mind?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo helps Annabeth lock up a certain Son of Poseidon.

Annabeth had been looking for Leo for fifteen minutes and she was already tired. He wasn't in his cabin or the machine room. She couldn't see him at the hull and Hazel and Frank were standing guard, neither which had seen Leo. She was exasperated; she needed to find him before she lost the courage to do what she needed to do. 

Returning to the machine room, she huffed, "Leo!", at which point the scrawny Latino boy fell out a hole dug into the wall. He scrambled to pull the headphones off his ears. 

"Annabeth! My favourite child of Athena! How can I help you today?" 

She decided not to question why the boy had just fallen out a hole in the wall, or broach the fact she'd been calling his name for a sizeable chunk of time.

"Leo. Would it be possible for you to help me lock a door from the outside? I've got a basic idea of the engineering required, but I could use your help in building it." she explained, trying to avoid having to give him any detail.

He grinned, rubbing his hands together impishly. "You've come to the right person. When do we do this? Tomorrow? Who's the monster? Will they be inside while we do it? Is it a giant? I bet it's a giant."

She stamped on his foot hard. "Quiet down. Then follow me and you'll see."

He winced but followed the scary, stormy eyed girl anyway.

A minute or two later they were standing outside Percy's cabin. Annabeth peeked inside. 

"He's asleep. Can you do it now?" 

Leo's mouth fell agape and he pulled her away, whispering agitatedly.

"Annabeth Chase, have you lost your mind? That is your boyfriend in there. He's a good guy! He'll kill me! Nuh-uh, I am not getting involved in whatever squabble this is about."

He began to walk away when Annabeth grabbed him and pinned him against the wall. 

"Leo," she hissed. "If you do not lock that door right now, I will kill you before he gets the chance to. You have to trust me here. I'm going to call a meeting in the Mess Hall. Be there in 20 minutes, WITHOUT Percy."

"You better have a very good explanation for this, Chase." He grumbled, before pulling a brass padlock out of his belt.

\---

In the Mess Hall, Piper, Jason, Frank and Hazel sat across from each other. Frank and Hazel held hands subtly under the table, a warm blush across both of their faces. Piper was leaning on Jason's topless torso, wearing his top and some shorts. As Annabeth watched them, she figured she'd interrupted something. Good. They had bigger things to worry about. Still, she was glad Jason had grown in comfortableness during his time with them. He looked messier than usual, but that may have been more to do with the fact she had dragged them out of their cabins at 10 o'clock. 

"Where's Leo?" Piper inquired, "and Percy?" 

Leo entered. "I'm right here, sugar. As for Percy, well, our dear friend Annabeth is going to tell us more about that."

Five heads turned expectantly towards her. She took a deep breath. She knew she had to be a leader, but she didn't know how to tell her friends without a crusade being led against her boyfriend. 

"Have any of you heard of bloodbending?" She asked, trying to sound as level-headed as she could. 

Jason's hands dropped from Piper's shoulders. His face paled severed shades and he pulled out his chair hastily. 

"Many years ago, on a quest, We saw... I saw horrible things. I saw a demigod, I saw blood pouring out of his nose and ears and... it was almost like he was sweating it, out of the pores of his skin. His insides, they were... twisting inside of him. I don't know if-" He sagged down into his seat, eyes wide and white.

Piper yanked out a blanket from one of the couches behind her and pulled it across him. "We can go, Jason. Do you feel okay?" She whispered.

"No, Pipes." He said, shaking himself out of it. "I have a feeling this is important."

Annabeth nodded appreciatively and he smiled weakly back. "Now you have some idea of what it is, you will understand the magnitude of what I am about to tell you. Bloodbending is a capability only obtained by one or two mortals ever. It is a form of extreme water bending. Since the body is mostly water, those who have control over it, in theory, should be able to control small quantities of blood. But for some, it goes further - the ability to manipulate blood and the organs within the body of another individual. Poseidon himself would not use such measures, even in dire straits. I have heard myths of a Son of Poseidon, many aeons ago, who possessed the same capabilities as his father. He was a great hero, a demigod and the son of some ancient Queen, but the potential to kill so easily was too tempting. He slew armies, purely by will. Eventually, he was put down by his father's own hand on the census of the Olympians."

Jason's grim pallor had now spread to the rest of her friends. 

"Is that why y-you had me lock up Percy?" Leo stuttered. 

Hazel looked like she was about to be sick. "Percy can... do that?"

Annabeth shook her head. "I don't know. But when we went missing earlier, when we were chased by that hellhound, Percy did something. He controlled it. He kept it alive in its suffering by keeping the blood within him, whilst still attacking. For fun."

Hazel was actually sick this time; Frank held back her hair with a grimace whilst she retched into a plastic bag. Jason just kept shaking his head and repeating the word "No." over and over again whilst Piper tried to soothe him. Only Leo said anything. 

"That's not possible. I'm not always the guy's biggest fan, but that's impossible. He isn't like that, Percy is not some sadistic piece of shit. You know that. You guys know that, right? That's what's so annoying about him - he's always trying to do the right thing and blah blah blah. Percy wouldn't want a creature - even a monster - to suffer for as long as he could help it,"

"You're right, Leo," Annabeth reassured, although she cast her mind back to Akhlys and Arachne in Tartarus. "The boy I was with controlled the hellhound and I'm sure he has the capability to control us. But it wasn't Percy. Someone was simply using his powers as a vessel for their spirit. Ask Percy what happened and he'll tell you that he quickly stabbed the creature and it disintegrated. He doesn't remember a thing."

Piper was still stroking Jason's back. "So you're saying that some higher being is using Percy at their disposal. Probably because Percy is already capable of whatever mass murder they want to carry out. But who, Gaia? And why torture a hellhound?" 

"I don't know Pipes. I don't think this one is Gaia; she wants to spill our blood, remember? She can't do that if Percy can kill her armies with sheer willpower. He didn't know that he could blood bend before this and if he did, he would never do it. Whoever it is has taken a risk by making Percy more powerful - I think they need him to fight for them. As for the hellhound, I have a sick feeling this is just a warm-up."

"How do we protect ourselves?" Hazel said, still slightly green. 

"I don't know," Annabeth sighed. "But we can't dispose of Percy. Firstly, it would jeopardise the prophecy. I can't shake the feeling that this wasn't meant to happen, that it isn't part of our quest. Secondly, we need him to fight in Athens. I'm sorry, but blood bender or not, he's much too powerful a liability. At least this way we can attempt to keep him on our side. And lastly, I'm pretty sure if we tried to get rid of him, he'd kill us all. Plus, I love him. I love him very much. And I believe in his capability to fight this... this possession, this evil. Currently, I've got him locked in his cabin. I need to talk to him before he wakes up, but I couldn't risk him hearing us in here. I still don't know if he can kill without being in close proximity to his target"

The demigods around her were quiet, trying to wrap their heads around the ideas that had just been presented to them. They didn't have much time to think.

The walls around them erupted. Water began flowing in from any direction; the ceiling included. Pipes swung down and sprung out, decorating the room as though a plumber had come in and fancied a spot of interior decorating. The demigods yelled and ran onto the deck before Annabeth put a hand out to stop them walking any further than the top of the stairs.

Because there, encapsulated in water, was Percy Jackson. And he didn't look happy.


	3. What do you want from us?

Annabeth didn’t get overwhelmed very easily. She wasn’t afraid to admit that she got scared sometimes, because she was good at maintaining a degree of authoritative calmness. But here, watching the boy she loved with such hatred in his eyes, her stomach dropped.

_Say something. Say something._

“Percy, It’s late! What are you doing up?” she settled on, praying no one else would pick up on the cracks in her voice. 

Percy turned to her, the ferocity in his frown a far cry from the toothy troublemaker grin Annabeth loved so much.

"Annabeth Chase," he stated huskily. She might have found it sexy if he didn't have a sword pointed at her. 

"Perseus Jackson," she retorted, attempting to keep her face devoid of any emotion. His full name felt foreign on her tongue.

"Have you been holding gatherings without telling me?" 

"Have you been torturing monsters without telling me?"

Percy/not Percy chuckled. "You're a smart girl. The boy warned me of you. I did think it would take you a little longer to comprehend such ancient powers but you seem to have done so with ease. Perhaps I have underestimated you. However, Miss Chase, there is one thing that you have yet to understand; I am not so easily restrained. You cannot kill me, you cannot hide from me, you cannot lock me up. I am millennia old. You must do exactly as I tell you to until I achieve my goal."

Annabeth said nothing, unable to muster the strength required to speak a single sentence. Jason, who had since recovered from his previous bout, stepped forward. 

"And what exactly is your goal?" he said, with false bravado that Annabeth regarded with admiration.

"Mr Grace, my goal is-" 

Suddenly, the water that circulated Percy fell to the ground, splashing at everyone's feet. He grabbed his head, as though he was in pain, and collapsed to his knees. Annabeth instinctively surged forward, the sight of her boyfriend hurting enough to break her rigid composure. Piper grabbed her as soon as she moved, anticipating it, and yanked her back hard into Leo. They stumbled back, but before anyone could complain the water at their feet began to float back into its prior tornado. 

"Stupid boy is still fighting it," Percy grumbled. "Where was I? Ah, yes. My goal. You see, my wife is a powerful foe of yours. She wishes to allow the Earth to revert to its previous nature. Therefore, as I believe you children are aware, the Doors of Death have allowed many of the Underworld's inhabitants to escape back into the mortal world."

"Not anymore," Frank said, a deep frown etched across his face. "We closed them."

Percy laughed. It was no longer a pleasant sound. "That you did, demigod. However, not before you allowed something else to escape. She understands." He pointed at Annabeth. 

"Who's your wife?" Hazel asked trembling, only to confirm what every suspected.

"Gaia," Annabeth whispered hoarsely. Everything made sense. The feeling she'd been carrying around, the fear of being near Percy. She turned to the group slowly. "This is Tartarus."

"Well done, Miss Chase. Alas, this is only a minuscule portion of my form. I do not yet wish to kill my host."

"Why Percy?" she uttered, barely loud enough for her friends to hear. Percy/Tartarus heard.

"After you puny demigods escaped, your boyfriend here was fractured."

"Like, a bone?" Leo asked shakily. 

Tartarus shook Percy's head. "No, Mr Valdez. Mr Jackson fractured his mind. Of course, it is unreasonable to assume any mortal could escape the depths of Hell with their stability intact. However, my host found himself in a most precarious state, and I discovered that there was no one better to help me exact my revenge than my escapee himself. It was not difficult at all to enter his nightmares. At this point, he was teetering on the edges of mortal sanity. Once I found out about the bloodbending, through images from his own dreams, it was no difficulty at all to slip into his consciousness. He fights, of course, but day by day I get stronger and he gets weaker. Soon, Mr Jackson will be completely faded, and I will be the sole resident of this form."

Nobody spoke for a second. However, reason eventually won the fight against fear in Annabeth's brain.

"But why?" The question felt stupid as soon as it left her mouth. 

"Why?" Tartarus bellowed. "Why, you ask? Annabeth Chase, I have never met mortals as insolent as you and your boyfriend here. You dared to run before, but now there is nowhere to run to. Your escape simply reminded me how much I hate demigods. I have always seen them as unworthy of my attention, yet I shall not be made a fool of. Gaia seeks the demise of all, and I am willing to bring you and your friends to her. However, I have asked for permission to tear you apart myself. I shall make your friends watch, I shall make what is left of Percy Jackson watch as your very beloved rips out your throat! Then, I will personally kill every demigod on this planet - permission I ordained specifically from _my_ beloved. And as for the rest of you - Mr Valdez, Mr Grace, Mr Zhang, Miss McLean and Miss Levesque - I have special plans for you at home: at Tartarus!"

Leo was the first to say anything. 

"Aren't you Tartarus?" he asked. Annabeth could see that he was trembling, but he spoke in such a carefree manner she wondered if he genuinely had a death wish. 

"Yes, but I also reside there in physical -," he paused. "I will not answer to mortals." 

He punched Leo with such strength that the boy flew down the stairs behind him. Annabeth was sure Percy hadn't been able to do that, but then again, she hadn't known her boyfriend was going insane and being plagued by nightmares involving an eternal pit of darkness talking to him. 

"What do you want from us?" Jason asked steadily. 

"Nothing for now. You will continue your journey and serve me." Tartarus replied, but his (Percy's) voice faltered. He dropped to his knees and let out a blood-curdling scream. Annabeth raised her hand to her mouth to stop herself from sobbing. The tears were silent, but they stung her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to run to Percy and hold him and tell him that everything would be okay and she had some clever plan, but honestly, she didn't. The water around them dropped and Percy became soaked, hair plastered to his forehead. Percy only got wet if he wanted to, or if he wasn't concentrating and from the broken noises he was making, she figured it was the latter. 

"Percy," she whispered. 

"Annabeth," he cried. He looked up, as if only just noticing the seven demigods in front of him. "What just happened?" 


	4. Can't sleep?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annabeth has some dreams.

Telling Percy what had happened was no easy feat. Everyone stayed frozen in position except Annabeth, who rested heavily on Piper and Jason. Her voice trembled whilst she recounted the horrible admission that had come forth from Percy's own lips; he was Tartarus and he was going to kill her. He took it surprisingly well, all things considered, she thought. She'd never told anyone they were possessed by Hell before though, so she wasn't exactly sure what the adequate response etiquette would be. 

"I don't want to kill you,” was the first thing he said. His voice quivered and his eyes welled up. “Lock me up.” 

“I can’t do that Percy,” Annabeth replied woefully. “Tartarus will arise in you when he wants to arise. No chains will be able to hold him.” 

This caused a sob to escape from Percy’s mouth. “I should just kill myself. I should just-”

“Percy!” Piper interjected sharply; charmspeak laced into her voice. “You will not hurt yourself. If not for yourself, for us. For Annabeth.”

Percy nodded woozily. He rose to his feet and stepped towards his friends, who instinctively stepped back. His face burnt red.

“I’m going to hug you now, Percy,” Annabeth whispered. “Then, we’re all going to go to bed.” Even with no charmspeak in her words, everyone knew to listen. She approached him and hesitantly outstretched her arms. When he put his arms around hers, she was reminded of all those times in Tartarus where they’d been each other’s sole form of life support. It felt the same now; Percy clutched her like her touch was all he needed to survive. Nevertheless, she allowed herself to hold him for only five seconds before she retracted and he fell once again to the floor.

“Guys.” Frank piped up from the back. “Maybe we should sleep in groups tonight. We’re already doing shifts – it can’t hurt to double up in the cabins. Piper and Hazel, Leo and me, and Jason, Annabeth and Percy. Jason is probably the most powerful demigod here bar Percy, and Annabeth has the best shot at talking to him if he goes, you know.”

Jason elbowed Frank lightly. "Have you seen yourself lately? You're a beast!" 

Frank's cheeks reddened ever so slightly. "You have more experience than me," he mumbled. "I'll stay with Leo."

Leo, newly bruised where Percy had punched him, smirked. “Can’t get enough of me Frankie?”

“No, it just made the most logical sense,” Frank grumbled, crossing his arms. Hazel sidled up to him defensively. 

“Even though me, Piper and Annabeth could kick all three of your butts, I do think it’s a good idea. We should switch our shifts – me and Piper until 1, then Leo and Frank till 4, then Annabeth and Jason till 7. They can bring Percy with them. Assuming everyone’s okay with this?”

Annabeth nodded. “Yeah, okay. We can try. If Tartarus decides to kill though, there isn’t much we can do. All it would take is a thought. He’s not powerful enough to get us all yet and he has to deliver us to Gaia in one piece, so that gives us some time to figure out a plan. Until then, let’s go get some rest. Piper and Hazel can take it from here.”

Jason just nodded solemnly, before helping Annabeth tentatively haul Percy off the floor and in the direction of her cabin. Hazel and Piper began walking towards to deck, engaged in quiet but intense discussion. Leo and Frank stood there arguing for a minute or two about whose cabin they would stay in, but it was more playful than mean and to be honest, they both appreciated the normality. After settling on Frank’s cabin (on the basis that Leo’s cabin hadn’t been used in weeks) they set off. 

\---

Annabeth sat perched on the corner of her desk. Percy had taken the bed and Jason, the large armchair that Leo had placed as a ‘reading spot’. She guessed that Jason had figured she would lie with Percy, but that wasn’t the most ideal option right now. She was too tired to go for a walk, but also too frightened to relax. 

“Can’t sleep?” she heard Jason mumble, clearly exhausted.

“Don’t worry about me,” she replied. “Just thinking.”

“What about?”

“What is there not to think about?”

“Fair point,” he laughed. “Here, take the chair. I’ll watch him for a while.”

She began to protest, but he cut her off. “Don’t argue with me. Just get some sleep and I’ll wake you if anything happens.”

Annabeth wanted to argue, but her drooping eyelids weren’t cooperating. She tucked herself in the chair and closed her eyes.

Of course, her dreams couldn't give her a night off. 

"Annabeth!" she heard someone call out. Flicking her eyes around, she noticed Tyson behind her. He had one arm around Ella the Harpy. "Annabeth! Hello!"

"Tyson?" she hoarsely replied. 

"I'm sorry for breaking your sleep. Daddy told me this was the only way. He is very ill."

"Poseidon?"

"Yes, daddy. He is shouting and sleeping and shouting and sleeping. Miss Amphitrite is very worried." 

"All the Gods are like that Tyson - it's their Roman and Greek forms. What did he want to say?"

"He told me I must talk to you. When he saw me, he was Greek for a little bit. He said he was worried about Percy and that I should tell you that the only way to fix Percy is with the help of the daughter of medicine. You must take Percy there before you go to Athens." 

"Tyson, what are you talking about? I can't take Tarta- Percy anywhere! He'll kill me!"

Tyson laughed heartily. "Percy would never kill you. Percy loves you."

The window around Tyson's face began shimmering and she was now up at Mount Olympus, in the throne room of the Gods – the one she'd designed herself. Zeus sat in the centre, accompanied only by Hestia. He was in his Greek form, but from the way he was clutching his head, she knew that wouldn't last for long. 

"We need to kill him now! He must die for the greater good!" He bellowed. It didn't take a child of Athena to know he was talking about Percy. Annabeth clutched her mouth to stop from crying, even though she knew he couldn't see her. 

"My Lord, do you really wish to anger Poseidon? The boy is a danger, but who knows what would happen if you killed him. Tartarus is far older than us; he may simply occupy a new body, and then you have the same problem and a dead demigod," Hestia replied evenly. 

Zeus seemed to consider this before his form flicked back into Jupiter. "At least if he inhabits a new body, he cannot utilise the strength of that boy. He is far too dangerous."

"Yet he is one of the demigods of the prophecy. You cannot meddle with prophetic matters."

"I will keep him alive for now. If his friends are smart enough, they'll get the boy to her. However, if Tartarus gains strength, he will be able to kill them all and then his host. That would solve one of our problems."

Hestia sighed. "My Lord, I am sure you are not contemplating sacrificing our children in order to attempt defeat upon Gaia. She will find another way to spill demigod blood. They have all been through enough, especially Perseus Jackson." 

Zeus, befit with another headache, simply waved his hand. With that, the scene before Annabeth dissipated and she woke up in a cold sweat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't remember how Hestia was affected by the Greek/Roman split personality thing :/


	5. Dreadful, isn't it?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reality becomes confusing.

Dreams had always been a nuisance. Annabeth didn't care how useful they were - they sucked. She snapped awake in a cold sweat, but her stomach dropped further when she looked around the room. Percy and Jason were gone. 

Instantly, her mind began flooding with dark theories. She found it hard to rationalize when she knew absolutely nothing about the capabilities of their enemy. Tartarus could be on the run, or holding Jason hostage. Their Roman friend could already be dead. Percy could've got into the other cabins and - Oh gods, whose shift was it? Checking her bedside alarm clock, she saw it was nearly four. That meant Frank and Leo would be exchanging with her group soon. She prayed to all 12 Olympians that everyone was okay. Of course, she wanted her friends to be safe, but a part of her had reasoning much more selfish; she knew Zeus would not hesitate to smite Percy if Jason came away with so much as a scratch. She couldn't give him any reason to dispose of her boyfriend.

Rushing out of her cabin and onto the deck, she realised the ship was deadly silent. They were soaring through the starry skies, Festus at the invisible wheel, and all she could hear were his mechanical cogs whirring inside of him. The view might've been beautiful, but she had no time to admire it. She immediately retraced her steps. When she returned to the cabins, her door was bordered with bright white light and bolted shut. She banged on Piper and Frank's doors frantically, desperation and fear creeping up to her throat like vines. Pleas came out choked and garbled. No one was answering, and she began to lose hope. The vines had a full grasp of her now and she couldn't breathe or move. She sunk to the floor, clawing at her neck. Darkness crept into the edged of her vision. Annabeth fought against the paralysis and opened her mouth in an O, screaming silently.

A woman opened Piper's door. It took Annabeth less than a second to identify her, even in her current state. There, in all her transcendental beauty, was Aphrodite.

"Annabeth, dear, you really must calm down," she drawled lazily. 

Considering she couldn't speak, Annabeth said nothing. 

"Ah, yes. Sleep paralysis. Dreadful, isn't it?" Aphrodite snapped her hands, and Annabeth felt her invisible gag start to slip away. She gulped in air. 

"I'm not asleep though?" She asked, cautiously enunciating her words as though learning to talk for the first time. 

Aphrodite giggled. "Yes, you are, daughter of Athena. You are still dreaming"

"How is that even possible? And why are you here?"

"Well, I do apologise, but that awful fit of sleep paralysis was me. I had to keep you asleep, and you were going to scream yourself awake. As for why I'm here... I may have some of the answers you seek," she smiled, sickeningly but gorgeously sweet. "Although, we must be fast. Zeus will have my head."

"That's not possible - I can feel everything that you can't in a dream. And-" Now it was Annabeth's turn to laugh. "You, the Goddess of Love, can tell me how to defeat Tartarus?"

Aphrodite's eyes sharpened and glinted dangerously. Annabeth stopped laughing. "Careful, mortal," she hissed. "By some standards, I'm the oldest of all my brethren. I've seen things that would quite literally blow your mind."

"Of course, my Lady."

Aphrodite softened up at that. "Your friends are all safe. Percy and Jason are awake and well, as are Frank Zhang and Leo Valdez. and my daughter and Hazel Levesque sleep in this room behind me."

Annabeth frowned. "That can't be. I went on deck. And nobody's behind you, I saw the room when you opened the door. It's empty."

"Child, as I have told you, you have not left your bed. However, you have caused a bit of commotion. Percy and Jason were talking with the Mars kid and Valdez above deck to give you some extra time to rest when, suddenly, you started screaming as though you were being murdered. I had to lock your door to keep them out. I should really hurry up, or we may give Jackson a heart attack."

Annabeth was becoming increasingly scared and uncomfortable. "Yes, please do."

"In your previous dreams, I believe that cyclops told you to find the daughter of medicine. Although I cannot disclose who that is, I will tell you will find her with her father. And the only way to tempt her to help you is with something she can not access where she currently resides; demigod blood."

"Wait, back up. She's a vampire?"

"No, child. She heals. To heal, one needs several ingredients. Human doctors require human chemicals and human substances. Godly healers require more complicated and nuanced ingredients." Aphrodite mimed checking a watch. "Oh dear, is that the time? I must be going. All the best, Annabeth. For what it's worth, I hope you can save your boyfriend. I do so enjoy watching your romance. Anyway, tata!"

With a click of her fingers, she disappeared and Annabeth awoke - for real this time - in the armchair in her room. She could hear pounding on the door. It sounded like Piper and Hazel had awoken, and everyone was trying to stop a screaming Percy from hurting himself by throwing his full weight against the door. Hastily, she got up and grabbed onto the door. It took a second to readjust to her surroundings, but she managed to gather herself enough to slip out the bolt Aphrodite had placed. She didn't know why it came off so easily for her - maybe it had been created to lift only at her touch.

She threw open to the door just as Percy charged again, and they collided painfully on the floor.

"Annabeth!" Piper exclaimed. Her, Hazel and Frank seemed to let out a collective breath, whilst Jason scrambled to help them off the floor. Leo was already on the other side of the door, examing the bolt with fascination. 

"This is incredible!" He exclaimed. "Can I...?" He motioned towards his tool belt. 

"Go ahead," Annabeth said, still too out of it to make any complaints. Percy was next to her, gripping his bruised shoulder painfully. 

"What happened?" Frank asked with his brow furrowed. 

"I saw Tyson and Ella the Harpy. Zeus and Hestia. Aphrodite."

Piper instinctively rolled her eyes at the last name. "What did they want?"

"It's a long story..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kudos & comments appreciated <3


	6. But which daughter?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew have some planning to do.

The group had squeezed into Annabeth's cabin. Beside the bookshelf, Leo crouched down and was flipping the Aphrodite bolt between his fingers. Frank had sunk into the plush recliner whilst Hazel perched on the armrest, and both wore an expression of seriousness akin to that of the praetors back home. Piper sat behind Annabeth on the bed, gently rubbing her shoulders and saying nothing. Percy sat on the opposite end of the bed, knees tucked into his arms and head bowed into his chest. Outside, Jason was pacing on the deck, mumbling about "remembering old quests."

Leo spoke first. "So, we need to find the "Daughter of Medicine" before we go to Athens. To what, cure Percy? How do we get him there? Won't Tartarus kill us first?"

"I don't know, Leo. All I know is that the only way to expel him is to bribe her with demigod blood," Annabeth grumbled, two fingers pressed to her temples. 

"Why is our blood so popular? Gaia, Tartarus, Medicine Lady... I might have to start selling."

It was at this moment Jason burst into the room, flustered and slightly red. "Asclepius!" He exclaimed. 

He was met with blank stares. "Asclepius, Apollo's-"

"-Son! Oh my Gods, of course." Annabeth jumped to her feet. "But which daughter?"

"I'm not sure, but I knew why it sounded so familiar. I met Iaso, one of his, several years ago on a quest. The same quest, the one in which I saw the... you know-"

"Bloodbending?" Annabeth supplemented unhelpfully. Jason nodded. 

Frank coughed loudly. "Care to clue us in?"

Jason opened his mouth to speak but then swivelled his head to wear Percy had curled up. He didn't need to speak; everyone knew why.

Annabeth sighed and gently tapped Percy's back. "Hey Perce? Could we walk back to your cabin, please? I-"

"You don't need to explain," he muttered, "I get it. He could be listening. But I'd rather be alone if you wouldn't mind." He looked around at his friends, who were averting their eyes. All except Annabeth. 

"I'm going to fix this," she whispered and pressed her forehead to his. Their lips met, and even though the room was full, for a second, they were the only people in the world. Such a normal action of affection felt as though it held the weight of a goodbye that they weren't ready to make, and thus, a vacuum was created in which their tears and red lips were shielded from the awkward eyes of their companions. He cupped her face and she felt his wet cheeks against hers. Everything fell away, leaving them to grow hungrier and more passionate and they were alone and... then the vacuum dissipated, and they were in Annabeth's cabin surrounded again. Her forehead was still pressed to his as though nothing had ever happened, their red swollen lips the only evidence that they'd ever touched. Immediately Annabeth knew the vacuum was Aphrodite. She silently thanked her. 

"I love you, seaweed brain." 

Percy said nothing as he walked away and closed the door behind him. 

Leo broke the silence yet again. "I'm sorry, Annabeth, but should someone watch him?"

"Leave it. What would they be able to do anyway?" Her words were barely audible. "Jason, could you?" She gestured for him to speak.

"Asclepius is Apollo's son - and perhaps an even more talented physician than his father. He has five daughters, and each represents a facet of Apollo's art. My mythology is slightly rusty, but I know Iaso is the Goddess of recovery. Hygieia is his too - Goddess of hygiene. There are several others too, including Panacea, the Goddess of universal remedy. She's the most well-known, and if there's anyone that can help it's her."

Hazel arose. "Where can we find her?"

"I'd assume with her father, but I genuinely don't know. She used to travel, but most accounts say she lives on Mount Olympus."

Annabeth baulked. "There's no way we can go to Mount Olympus. Even I've been locked out, and I'm the official Architect. It's impossible."

"Then, isn't it clear? We need to get her to come to us," Piper said, speaking for the first time. "We need to offer her something she can't resist."

"Our blood?" Leo asked.

"A lot of it." 

"How?"

"Just like donation works. A syringe and a bucket."

"I don't think that's exactly how it works," Leo said, paling. 

"Grow up. Unless you want to offer up a limb?" 

"A syringe and a bucket? Sounds great!"

Piper rolled her eyes, but with no malice. "Jason. Maybe you should tell us about this quest."

He hesitated. "Are you sure? I mean, do I have to?" Immediately, he knew the answer to his question. She nodded anyway.

"When I was 13, 3 years ago, I went on a quest. I wasn't supposed to, but I was so persistent, the praetor's agreed to try me out. It was to go to Idaho and face two cyclops on a murderous rampage. They were killing machines - even the minor demigods, ones with a scent so weak they could survive out of camp, fell victim to them. No one could understand it. When we arrived at their cave, we found that it wasn't actually two cyclops, but two sorcerers that had been so successfully manipulating the mist they had evaded both death and capture. One was a teenage girl, a child of Neptune that had been blessed by Hecate, and the other a boy that had been born by Hecate herself. He was angry at the dismissal Hecate faced as a minor Goddess and had recruited his girlfriend to help him gain the attention of the major Gods. Unfortunately, he underestimated the Gods. The death of demigods, especially minor ones, did not trouble them as he thought it would. When we arrived, they were desperate. He told the girl to do something and we didn't understand until she began to control my friend, William, a son of Mercury. He died, but only after he bled his entire body out. I begged Lupa to wipe my memory of it, but she said she could do no such thing. Instead, she made me visualize pushing that memory to the back of my mind and locking it away. I kept it there, until yesterday."

Everyone was silent. The story was so shocking, yet so tragic, they knew it made perfect sense. If Kronos had not chosen Luke, perhaps he too would've fallen to such methods. One thing puzzled Annabeth though.

"I thought Percy was the only child of Poseidon to be birthed in the last 100 years?" she asked.

"That's the worst part. They started their quest before WWI. Hecate blessed them, and thus they became immortal."

Annabeth paled. 

"Okay, that's a tragic story, but we need to think. How can it help us now?" Piper asked. "Where are they both?"

Jason shrugged. "I'm not sure. We left them both in a pretty bad state, but then they disappeared in a sort of silver light."

"So there is possibly an immortal child of Neptune who can blood bend somewhere in the world," Hazel asked. "Maybe one who could help Percy control himself? Or even find a way to stop it?"

"It's a big risk, but we're chasing a risk with Panacea too. I say we split up. Jason and Piper, could you guys look into that?" Annabeth commanded.

They both nodded, fingers intertwined.

"Frank, Hazel and Leo, could you try find some sort of medical syringe? It might be easier than just using a knife to extract our blood. Plus, double-check Panacea's on Olympus. Otherwise, we need to start the drive."

Frank frowned. "You and Percy?"

"I can't leave him. I'm sorry. I'll help you guys where you need help, but if anything happens to him, I need to know I was with Percy when he was Percy." Annabeth said sadly.

Frank's eyebrows relaxed. "Okay, but stay safe. He's dangerous," he warned.

"Percy will not hurt anyone. We're his friends. I'm his girlfriend."

As if on cue, the ship rumbled aggresively. 

Everyone scrambled to their feet and filed out the cabin. By the time they reached the deck, Percy was holding the wheel at the front. Turbulence was still rife. He spun around to them, and Annabeth could've sworn she saw a flicker of regret in his eyes. There was no time to question it, because as soon as she noticed, the ship begun falling through the air.


	7. Where. Is. Percy?

Annabeth was vaguely aware that the ship had stopped falling. She was lying crookedly on the deck, noises and voices fuzzy around her. In her mind, she knew she needed to get up and assess the damage, but a searing pain in her left leg persuaded her to stay down a little longer. Without needing to look, she knew it was broken. Even though her eyes were shut tight, she could feel hot tears threatening to spill.

'No,' she thought. There was no time for weakness here. She snapped her eyes open and was immediately blinded by the light. Then, as the world became clear, she noticed Hazel's amber eyes staring down on her. They were wide and searching and then filled with relief.

"Annabeth!" She breathed and grabbed her into a hug. Annabeth winced but smiled. 

"What happened? Is everyone okay?" She used Hazel's arm to haul herself up, but the girl didn't have to say anything. Annabeth could see for herself.

The ship had been roughed up. The metalwork on the sides was scratched and peeling, and the wooden floorboards were smashed clean through in several places. Jason and Piper were up and running around the ship. If she had to guess, she'd assume Jason had managed to fly them both down to safety. Frank was bent over Leo, who looked pretty roughed up and Hazel was next to her. Percy was nowhere to be seen. 

"Frank tried to grab you, but you kept trying to get to Percy. You wouldn't let him. I'm so sorry," Hazel apologized. "And Jason was too far away from Leo to catch him, so you both felt the full impact of the drop. Your leg doesn't look good."

Despite the pain, Annabeth only had one concern. "Percy. Where. is. Percy?" 

Hazel shook her head apologetically. "No idea. Jason and Piper are looking."

Annabeth tried desperately to get up, but her leg kept buckling under her. "No, no, no. No!" She smacked her forehead violently. Hazel grabbed her fist mid-air. 

"I'm going to get ambrosia. Don't move." 

As soon as Hazel was out of sight, Annabeth yanked herself up with a painful grunt. She knew she'd regret it later, and she knew Hazel would kill her, but she had to find Percy. Frank was still bent over Leo, and Jason and Piper were out of sight, so she took her chance. With haste, she dragged herself to the edge of the ship and let herself down gently through a hole that had been smashed into the railings. Climbing down the ladder hurt like hell, but she focused her mind as she had when she'd faced Arachne with a broken ankle. She had priorities, then and now.

The ship had crashed into a forest. She had no clue where they were and no clue how to start discerning that fact. That was unimportant; it didn't matter if they got back on track or not if they lost Percy. She had to circle the whole ship, but eventually, she located a set of Percy-sized tracks that led off into the trees. Just in time, she thought, as she heard Hazel scream her name from the deck. She walked into the thicket and let the greenery engulf her. 

Annabeth had been walking for only ten minutes, but she had observed several facts. Fact one: It was freezing. It was freezing and her makeshift splint wasn't working properly and her stick crutch kept snapping and her voice was hoarse from calling for Percy. It was a miracle they hadn't found her yet, she marvelled, what with all the noise she was making. 

The deeper she followed the tracks, the deeper the uncharacteristically chilly summer air infiltrated her bones and the more lightheaded she became. She knew she wouldn't be able to go on much further. She couldn't return to the ship, not without him, but if she slowed she knew it would only be a matter of time until one of her friends found her. 

She approached a clearing warily, careful not to step out of her green shelter. Exposure risked being found. Upon further inspection, she concluded that there was no one up ahead or above and she brought herself forward with a painful grunt. The air seemed harsher in the open space, as if it were warning her to leave. Annabeth wondered if there were spirits around her, circling her, cursing her for her foolishness. The forest was a being in itself, and by no means would she make the assumption it cared for her life. Yet, being aware of the threat did nothing; she could not protect herself against the weather, let alone malicious spirits. That was okay. Looking up, Annabeth let the last of her power drain away. She couldn't shake her discomfort, but she as she numbed to the excruciating pain she let her doubts and concerns turned into nothingness along with it. 

She fell slowly, or at least it felt like that. The world tilted 90 degrees in slow motion, and she kept her eyes open against the wind until her head thudded hard on the ground.

When she awoke, she wasn't sure if she was dreaming or not. The air was warm, the sky golden and she could feel soft, dry grass on her back. The pain her leg had numbed to a dull throb. Percy's face was above hers and his eyes were closed tight whilst his lips mumbled quiet prayers. She could only catch certain words and phrases like - "Please, Father" "Sorry" "Athena, I-". She tried to speak, but no words came. Still, his eyes shot open as she took in a large breath of air.

He bowed his head. "Oh, thank the Gods."

"You found me?" She whispered, unable to stop a small smile from cracking her lips. This was too fortunate, she thought. His warm breath on her skin was the only reminder she had that this was real, and she hadn't died and gone to Elysium. 

"I thought I'd killed you, Annabeth. I thought I-"

"Ah, but you didn't. Can't get rid of me that easily," Annabeth brushed her hand against his jaw, voice cracking. "You need to come back."

Percy sighed. "It's been less than 3 hours. I can't expect them to have forgiven me by now."

"You've done nothing wrong!" Annabeth tried to sound indignant. "You do not need forgiveness. Tartarus is not you. And... I've been out 3 hours?"

"Yeah. I knew someone was following me, and when the noises stopped I doubled back and found you on the ground. Your head was bleeding and you looked, well, dead." 

"Percy, I'm okay. We need to go back and pray Leo has recovered because he's the only one who can repair the ship. After he does that, everyone else has things to be doing."

He caught her chin in his hands. "Woah, slow down. You don't need to think right now, you need to finish healing."

"I'm fine!" she exclaimed, scrambling to her feet. It took less than five seconds for her knees to give way beneath her. Luckily, Percy caught her. 

"Fine, huh? Lie back down, just for a little bit. For me?" 

She huffed but did as he asked. He placed himself down next to her and she sunk into his warmth, forgetting the inhibitions she'd had about being near him the night before. It was not yet afternoon and they basked in the morning sun as though Apollo had drawn it out just for them today. 

"Percy?" she asked. He replied with a hmph. 

"Wasn't it much colder earlier? When did it get so warm?"

He turned to look at her. "Stop asking questions, Wise Girl, " he murmured before he pulled her in for a desperate kiss. She chastised herself for being so foolish, for not commanding they return to the others immediately, but he was so intoxicating. She deepened the kiss, spurred on by God knows what. He was so beautiful, so strong. His muscles and his bright green veins rippled under her fingers. His did similar exploration of her, trailing circles down her back and around her waist. They sat up together, connected in touch in front of the Earth, the Sun and the Sky. 

Then, something changed. 

Clouds seemed to appear as if from nowhere and the warm grass under her turned damp. She felt Percy smile into her lips and then the familiar vibration of his chuckle. The chuckle deepened until he pulled his head back, overcome by roaring laughter.

"What's so funny?" she exclaimed, out of breath and rosy-cheeked with worry etched on her brow.

"Caught you at a bad time, have I?" he smirked, eyes cold and distant.

"A bad-" Annabeth stopped in her tracks. "Tartarus." Her body went limp, out of terror and violation and sheer panic.

"Tartarus," he repeated his name as though he was tasting it. "Yes, I am Tartarus. Son of Chaos, Father of Typhon, Husband to Gaia. You're coming with me."

In spite of the pain, Annabeth scrambled to her feet. "In your dreams." 

"Ah. Unfortunately, I cannot dream. Your boyfriend here can though - and he makes it too easy for me every time."

"You gain access to him through his dreams?" Annabeth asked, scanning her surroundings to assess her odds. Unsurprisingly, they weren't very high.

Tartarus ignored her. "Either you come with me willingly, or unwillingly. Take your pick."

Annabeth needed to think quick. "How long were you in his body?"

"No more than two minutes ago. That was all him before. I've been tormenting him since yesterday night, but after he found you lying so injured, I saw an opening. He was close to giving up control, so I told him I'd heal you and make the forest leave you two alone on the condition he returned his body to me when he was finished."

"But I could've easily recovered without you! He didn't need to make you any sort of deal!" Annabeth cried incredulously at the stupidity of it all. 

"A deal is a deal."

"But it doesn't make sense unless... unless you made him think I was dead, didn't you! Offered him the last resort. There's no other reason he would do something like this."

"A deal is a deal, young Annabeth. Let's hope Percy's watching from in here somewhere!" 

With that, Tartarus grabbed Annabeth by the neck and punched her dead straight in the face.


	8. Is this Percy?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lies.

Annabeth had only been knocked out for about 10 seconds, but she was bound by the hands and legs by the time she came to. Tartarus was chuckling, a sound that pained Annabeth - he'd hijacked Percy's voice. 

"Hello there," he smiled. 

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came to fruition.

"We really must make haste. Your friends will be wondering where we are." 

"You want to return to them?" Annabeth scrunched up her brows. 

"I'm going to untie you when we arrive. You're only like this now because I don't need you running away before we get there. You're going to act completely normal when we see them - if you so much as whisper my name, I will never let you speak to your boyfriend ever again. As long as I stay awake - as long as Percy stays awake - he has no way of regaining control of his body. And I'm not very tired," he hissed, spitting out the last words like a threat.

"You're going to pretend to be him?" she asked quietly. "Why?"

"Same reason I crashed your ship. To keep you from getting Panacea's attention."

"You know about that? How? And, why the hell do you keep telling me your plans?" Annabeth couldn't help but feel uneasy - he was making textbook villain mistakes.

Tartarus seemed unphased. "I'm not an idiot. And why shouldn't I? It will make it all the more fun to see you squirm whilst I mess with your friends. Because remember; I am choosing not to kill Perseus right now. The only reason I don't is for Gaia, my beloved. If you make one wrong move, however, I will take away so much of your boyfriend's soul that it will not matter if he is dead or not. He will feel nothing for you, for your friends, for your little demigod cause."

"Is that not better than subjecting him to the mental torture of watching you lie to his friends?"

"He is in no pain right now. He is a passive bystander in his own body, yes, but Annabeth - have you ever had your soul slowly stripped from you? Felt your own empathy disappearing through the cracks in your fingers and then, your heart shatter, like glass?" He sidled up close to her. "It will be ten times worse than whatever you went through in Tartarus, and this time, he won't have you to help him."

Annabeth let out a choked sob. "I'll do what you say."

Tartarus smiled, clearly pleased with himself. Then, he grabbed her and threw her over his right shoulder like a sack. She knew Percy was strong, but he'd never demonstrate such ease with such a weight on him. She could feel more and more of Tartarus overcoming him, the two bonding - soon irreversibly. This time, when the tears came, she let them fall.

They'd been walking for about 15 minutes when Tartarus yanked her off him. Wordlessly, he cut her ropes off with Riptide. She soon knew why; the ship was right there, mere metres away. It was silent, but if she had to guess, Leo and at least one other person would be inside. He grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her ear to his lips. 

"Do as I say, and I might let you say goodbye."

Then, he shoved her forward. Annabeth peered up at the ship. She could be killing her friends by doing this, but they stood no chance regardless if Tartarus turned Percy permanently.

"If I walk into that ship now, and lie to my friends, you must swear on the River Styx that you will not kill them until we reach Gaia. I understand I can't stop you from sabotaging our mission to find Panacea, and I'm willing to help you. But at least allow me this; however this comes to end, do not kill my friends immediately."

Tartarus considered this. Then, he smirked. "I will not swear on the Styx. But I will agree to your terms - for fun. It makes no difference to me whether you are slaughtered now or after Gaia gets her hands in you. However, if I kill you now, I have an angry wife and a harder journey to make. I just can't seem to figure out this damned ship."

Annabeth silently thanked the Gods and inhaled sharply. She had more time to try and come up with a plan now. Then, she took a step forward and Tartarus grasped her hand. Instinctively she yanked it back, but Tartarus didn't let go. 

"United front," he said, without even making eye contact. Disgusted as she was, Annabeth complied. 

"Annabeth!" She heard someone gasp. Hazel was aboard the deck, looking down at her from metres upwards. Annabeth managed a weak smile in response. 

"Hey," she yelled. "I found Percy."

Hazel's eyes narrowed and Tartarus smiled sheepishly. "Hey, Hazel."

Annabeth and Tartarus walked hand in hand into the ship and ascended the stairs to the deck. Immediately, Hazel ran up to them. "Where have you been? Jason and Frank are looking all over the forest!" 

"I went looking for Percy, I'm so sorry Hazel. I didn't mean to scare you."

Hazel opened her mouth as if to speak and then frowned. "Wasn't your leg broken? Or at least, injured?" 

Shit. Annabeth tried to think on the spot. "Percy had some... uh, Ambrosia on him. That's why we took so long. I was healing." It was a weak lie, and she knew it. None of the demigods just carried ambrosia on them without reason, despite knowing that they really should. This was further reiterated to her when Tartarus squeezed her hand painfully and then dropped it. Hazel's eyes narrowed even further if that were possible.

"Percy. I'm not going to ask for an explanation now. But when everyone gets back, you need to. Piper and Leo are in the infirmary - Leo's still pretty out of it."

Tartarus smiled awkwardly and nodded. "I'm going to go get cleaned up. Annabeth, you coming?"

"Give me a second," she whispered. Tartarus nodded, but sidled up next to her and wrapped his arms around her under the guise of embrace. 

"Be careful, child. You might say something you'll regret." With that, he strolled off, whistling to himself. 

Hazel just about caught her as Annabeth crumpled. Her eyes were dry, too dry. She rarely ever cried, but today she'd cried so much she thought it would be okay if she never did so again.

"Hey, hey, hey," Hazel whispered soothingly. The two girls didn't have the strongest of friendships (nothing like Percy and Hazel), and Annabeth knew Hazel was much younger than her (three years? four?), but she sunk into her arms as though she were her mother. "You can tell me what really happened."

Annabeth wasn't stupid. She knew Tartarus would be listening, assessing her. "I told you what happened. I told you the truth. I'm just tired."

Hazel said nothing. Instead, she hauled Annabeth to her feet, placed her arm around her lower back and led her to her cabin. Hazel opened the door and suddenly grasped Annabeth into her embrace as if she was saying goodbye. Then she left, letting the door swing behind her. Annabeth didn't want to think anymore; think about Hazel's suspicion or Tartarus' plan. She didn't want to have to come up with some elaborate plan, one which got rid of Tartarus and Gaia. She didn't want to think about her boyfriend becoming a mindless, psychopathic vessel and she really, really didn't want to think about thinking. So, she stumbled away from the doorway as though she were drunk and more than willingly let her bed absorb her.

When she awoke, it was morning. She'd fallen asleep in the late evening, but it still felt as though she needed more rest. She shimmied out of bed and looked around, realising that the mirror above her bedside table had shifted horizontally when the ship crashed. Still, Annabeth was impressed by how intact the rest of the cabin was. Leo had done a damn good job. As she reached over to fix it, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and did a double-take. Appearance, in general, wasn't something that hugely bothered Annabeth, but she was still shocked by how rough she looked. Her cheeks were gaunt and her eyes hollow, the telltale sign of a lack of sleep. Which really didn't make sense, considering the amount of sleep she'd got the last two days. Her hair was matted and... wait. Was she wearing her pyjama top? She wanted to scream. What stopped her was a brisk knock on her door. Suddenly embarrassed with herself, she shouted: "Who is it?"

"Me, Piper. Let me in Beth."

Annabeth hesitantly cracked the door open, peeking out with her eyes. "What's up?"

"We're meeting for breakfast in twenty minutes. We really need to talk."

"Yeah, I know. Let me have a shower, and then I should get changed." Annabeth smiled, but it looked more like a grimace. 

"Do you need any help?" Piper asked.

Annabeth furrowed her eyes. "Showering?"

"No, silly. With anything. You seem on edge." Piper laughed as the blonde's lips curled slightly. 

"I'm okay. Thanks, Pipes."

Piper smiled and then turned to walk away. Annabeth closed the door gently and then let out a deep sigh. She was getting sick of suspicion. Then, she yanked a towel out of her cupboard and headed to the showers. 

Piper heard her grunting in frustration ten minutes later, as she walked past the shower room. She knocked in concern, but this time Annabeth didn't ask who it was. She swung the door open with gritted teeth, clothed in a robe, with a comb stuck halfway through her knotted hair. Piper walked in and closed the door..

"Need a hand?"

Annabeth hated to admit it, but she did. She was thiiiiis close to shaving her head. Piper didn't laugh at her, just motioned for her to sit on the closed toilet. Annabeth obliged, and Piper yanked the comb out of her hair and began to gently ease it through the strands. It must've been a child of Aphrodite thing because Annabeth knew there was absolutely no one else on this ship who could do it so easily. It felt kind of nice actually, to have a friend and to do normal friend stuff. She knew she could die at any time, but there was comfort in the way Piper brushed her hair. She did it in long strokes, from her scalp to the nape of her neck, to her back. It tickled slightly, but Annabeth could've fallen asleep there and then. Unfortunately, it took less than three minutes for it to be done, and then Piper was gone and she was alone again. 

She washed out the last of the conditioner in her hair, before drying and clothing herself. It had now been twenty minutes. Hastily, she made her way out of the room and back to her own. She dumped her towel on the bed and spun around to leave, but she was stopped by a familiar set of green eyes. Her heart jumped to her throat. 

"Tartarus."

"Please," he said with a cruel grin. "Call me Percy."

She shuddered at the thought and crossed her eyes defiantly. "We need to get to the Mess Hall."

"Yes, that is true. Care to accompany me?" He offered her his arm in such a fashion she knew she had no choice. Once she had taken it, he whisked her out of the cabin. "You look much nicer today, I must say. Although, I do apologise for the black eye."

She was repulsed. But then... "Black eye?" She paused to look at her reflection in the spotless stainless steel walls. Sure enough, a ring of green had formed around her left eye. How had she missed that? "They're going to ask questions, you know." 

He dug his nails into her arm. "You fell. Your legs buckled underneath you, and you fell." She could do nothing but nod. 

"I'm going to need you to do something for me," he began. "Tell them to stop looking for Panacea. Tell them that it's useless, at least until they can get the ship up and running. I can keep that from happening. Do whatever you need to do, to stop them. We're close to Athens. I can find a way to bring Gaia her sacrifices. But Panacea cannot come here. Under any circumstances." 

Annabeth already knew these were his terms, so she gave her assent without any resistance.

They were late to breakfast, and everyone had already dug in when they arrived. The atmosphere, however, became noticeably colder when they walked in. Forks clattered to the table and mouths stopped chewing. Oblivious, Tartarus broke into a wide grin. "I'm starving!" he exclaimed, sidling into a bench next to Frank and Hazel. Leo was occupying the bench opposite, bandaged legs laid out in front of him, whilst Jason and Piper shared an armchair at the head of the table. Everyone shared discrete glances, and Annabeth pretended not to see them before seating herself at the opposite end of the table.

"I believe you have some questions," she stated simply. She could feel Hazel's eyes burning into her head, so she settled on Leo's. They were the least intimidating, and she was pretty sure the boy was on several strong sedatives. 

Jason began, cutting straight to the chase. "Is this Percy?"

"Yes," she replied, striving to keep her voice even. Tartarus smiled, but it looked wrong. It looked off. 

"Why do you have a bruise? Underneath your eye." Piper asked.

Annabeth locked eyes with Percy. "I fell."

"Why did you drop my ship, man?" Leo exclaimed/ slurred, pointing accusatorily at Tartarus. 

"That was Tartarus, I swear. But I realised what I'd done when we hit the ground and I fled." 

"You weren't injured?" Asked Frank incredulously. 

"Guess I got lucky?" Tartarus shrugged. The motion seemed anything but casual.

Annabeth couldn't tell who actually bought it, but she could see that they all wanted to. "Guys, a few things. We should stop the blood drive. We should focus on getting the ship up and running before we start to look for Panacea."

Almost all the crewmates began talking at once, bar Annabeth and Tartarus.

"She's our only hope!"  
"Are we giving up?"  
"Stop looking? Stop looking for our only chance of survival?"

"Please guys," Annabeth begged. "We don't even know where we are. Let's get out of here before we start the drive. Please."

They murmed reluctant collective assent.

Piper suddenly sat up straight. "What about the gi- ouch!"

Jason had pinched her. "Sorry, that was an accident. Piper meant to say, what about Leo? He's not fit to start repairing the ship." 

Piper glared at him with a look as if to say: 'That's very much not what I intended to say' but she stayed silent. Annabeth was eternally grateful as she realised he was keeping their back-up plan a secret - the bloodbending girl from his quest three years ago. 

"We can all help him, but first, let's prioritise his recovery," she replied. Leo stuck a thumbs up and giggled. 

Tartarus watched the exchange, but he remained tightlipped. Annabeth realised she was going to have to answer to him later, but that was a problem for future Annabeth.

The rest of the day went by quickly. They wrapped up the meeting, and Jason and Piper had immediately left the ship citing that Leo asked for repair supplies. Leo had fallen asleep during the meeting and had to be carried to the sickbay by Frank, so she had no idea when he would've been able to ask them and that added onto the fact they were in the middle of nowhere led Annabeth to the conclusion that they were lying, but she decided to trust the pair insofar as that they would be doing the right thing. It was her that was doing the wrong thing - deceiving her friends and ruining their chances of survival. It was weak consolement that she was doing it for Percy's sake. It was no consolement at all that it literally would not matter if she couldn't figure out a plan in the days leading up to the solstice - they would all die horribly if they couldn't expel Tartarus and defeat Gaia. And their odds were looking very very thin. She was avoiding Tartarus like the plague, and so far, he was leaving her alone too. Probably plotting something evil, she thought, laying down to sleep with an empty stomach and a head full of thoughts. Probably something evil...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I've made any mistakes, do not hesitate to let me know! Kudos and comments, as always, greatly appreciated <3

**Author's Note:**

> kudos greatly appreciated.


End file.
